M4 Sherman
The Medium Tank M4 "M4 Sherman", named after Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, was an American medium tank, and became both one of the most successful tank models of all time, being opperated in almost 35 different countries, with nearly 50,000 of all different varients produced , and also the backbone of the United States' armoured forces, serving on all fronts of World War Two and further still. A bit of history The M4 Sherman was the natural development of the earlier''' M3 Lee/Grant medium tank, which had been hurriedly built and deployed on the front out of necessity while a tank with a 75-mm gun in a rotating turret was developed. By modifying the M3's chassis and hull, with a turret armed with the M3 L/40 gun, the M4 was born. Unsurprisingly, given the sheer number of tanks built, many version were built, which differed in the hull (either cast or welded), the engine (either the Continental radial or the Ford GAA inline gasoline ones, or those with Diesel engines), and in the armament. The M4 was designed and deployed according to the "tank destroyer" doctrine then in favor; it meant that it had to perform as a multirole tank, capable of fighting other tanks yet not to become simply a tank-killer, task that would be left to the tank destroyers; unfortunately, this view (championed by General Leslie MacNair) was not as successful as projected, and had a considerable role in the delay of upgrading the Sherman's firepower. Early Stage M4s were deployed in North Africa first, and performed well against German and Italian tanks, being a match for the latest Panzer IV variants and vastly outperforming Italian tanks. They played no small part in the ultimate defeat of the Axis at El Alamein and then in Tunisia. However, in Tunisia the M4 first encountered what would in popular belief become its nightmare, the German Tiger I tank, whose armor was impenetrable to the M4's 75-mm gun, and whose 88-mm gun could destroy a Sheman at long distances; the only way for an M4 to defeat a Tiger was to overcome it with numbers. However, various causes (among which an unjustified sense of complacency in the Army's upper echelons) delayed a response to this threat and others like that (like the development of the Panther); the development of the M26 "Pershing" heavy tank was repeatedly vetoed, and so the Sherman bore the brunt of the late-war enemy Panzers. Gun upgrade After wrongfully believing that battlefield reports and inaccurate tests yelded that the Sherman was still cutting-edge, the U.S. Army started the development of a new gun, the 76mm M1A2, with far more penetrating power from larger distances, at the price however of reduced anti-infantry performance. This was wrongfully believed to be enough to deal with enemy Tigers and Panthers (the latter of which was believed to be another heavy tank and therefore to be met in small numbers), especially since deployement to the frontline was slow and in 1943 most Shermans still had the 75-mm gun. The British Army, who had first-hand experience of German tank development, was more cautious, and had started development of tanks armed with a tank gun perfectly capable of dealing with such fearsome Panzer designs, the OQF 17-Pounder; however, all such project suffered delay and lagged behind. Thus, it was proposed to combine this British gun with the American tank, which was achieved after some modifications, thus creating the Sherman Firefly. The course of events after D-Day proved the American view tragically wrong, as Tigers and especially Panthers (not to mention other designs like the Jagdpanzer IV with the same long-barreled 75 mm gun) were frequently met and easily outperformed the Sherman, whose 76 mm gun proved woefully inadequate against such well-protected enemies. British and Commonwealth units fared somewhat better, thanks to the Sherman Fireflies fielded, whose firepower was capable of defeating Panthers and Tigers at combat ranges; however, the sheer power of the gun provoked very bright muzzle flashes that could blind the gunner and kicked up much dust and dirt, easily revealing the tank's position and forcing it to relocate. Other variants that reached Europe during this stage of the war were the '''M4A3E8 "Easy-Eight" (with upgraded HVSS suspensions) and the M4A3E2 (after the war nicknamed "Jumbo", an especially well-liked version thanks to its thick armor protection). Other theaters The M4 was the backbone of the U.S. armoured forces also in the Italian Campaign, and in the Pacific theater. In the latter one, it was mostly used against enemy infantry and fortifications; whenever it met Japanese armour, it had a huge advantage. Late war and beyond Despite its inadequacy against many late-war German vehicles, the M4 served honourably for the duration of the war; not only was it a good match for the bulk of the German tanks it encountered (most of which Panzer IVs and StuG IIIs), but it was a success on the strategical level. No matter how many Shermans were destroyed, those could be replaced with relative ease, while every German tank lost was irreplaceable. Moreover, its thorough reliability and versatility were important assets in the conflict. The M4 was kept in service in the U.S. for some years after the war, having still a prominent role in the Korean War; after that, it was supplanted by more modern tanks like the Pattons. It was supplied in numbers to many countries around the world. Other info Saunders Girls High School possesses a huge arsenal of M4 Shermans in many variants (from the basic M4 to the M4A1, even having some rare M4A6s), and is not known to employ any other kind of tank. Oddly enough, it also employs the Sherman Firefly, although it was never employed by any American armed force, but only by Commonwealth units. For the match against Ooarai, it fielded eight M4s (one of which used by Kay as her command tank), one M4A1 with a 76 mm gun (the flag tank, commanded by Alisa), and a Firefly commanded by Naomi. They performed relatively well, losing only one of their number to a multiple ambush, other than the flag tank (hit by Miho's Panzer IV in the side a split second before being knocked out itself), while especially the Firefly proved to be a deadly sniper, knocking out the Rabbit Team's M3 Lee and the Panzer IV, albeit a little too late, from a distance. Tank basic characteristics *'Armament': #Main Gun ##M4 Sherman had a 75mm Gun M3 L/40 ##M4A1 Sherman had a 76mm Gun M1A2 ##Sherman Firefly had a Ordnance QF 17-pounder #Other ##.50 cal Browning M2HB MG ##.30 cal Browning M1919A4 MG x2 *'Hull armor / Turret armor' #Front : 51mm / 76mm #Sides : 38mm / 51mm #Rear : 38mm / 51mm *'Speed ': 25-40km/h More info about the Sherman *M4 Sherman *Sherman Firefly *M4 Specifications Category:Tanks